News Article: Viva Las Vegas: The Golden Knights Have Become the Hottest Act in Hockey

[ChanceVegas]

What a great read from Sports Illustrated!

Vegas is home to the hottest act in hockey

Click to read more...

 

[Nevada Jones]

Indeed a great piece...thanks for linking!

 

[Boris Zubov]

Great article. Anyone who says they saw this coming is either a liar or Carnac. It almost feels like a dream.

Glad I got on the season ticket bandwagon early. The waiting list is going to grow & grow.

 

[LadyStanley]

"Why wait?" -- MAF

Best quote

 

[ChanceVegas]

Here's another part of the same piece... lots of great quotes from the players...

Stories from the Golden Knights' inaugural season

At one point, Foley told Neal about his belief that the Golden Knights could reach the playoffs in three years and win the Stanley Cup in six, a claim that had earned mockery around the hockey world. “He looked at me,” Foley says of Neal. “He was irritated. He said, ‘What do you mean? We’re going to make the playoffs this year.’ I said, ‘Oh, okay. I’m for it.’ I had no expectations, really. I thought we’d be building. I thought we’d have to grab some RFAs, be sneaky about it, do some trades, do something in terms of building the pipeline.”

Several weeks into the season, as Vegas barreled toward an 8-1-0 start, Foley encountered Neal again. “Don’t worry,” he told the veteran winger. “I remember what you said.”

...

Neal on the atmosphere inside T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights boast the NHL’s best home record at 19-3-2: “I was in the stands for every preseason game. The first time I went on the ice was the first game against Arizona. The second I got on for warmups, I was struggling because of how fast the building felt and how fast the game was. Because of the atmosphere, because the seats are dark, because the fans are on top of you, because of how bright it is, how loud it is—the whole atmosphere would make you feel uncomfortable as an opposing team.

“I know exactly how guys are feeling coming into that rink. It’s quick. It’s different. You saw a prime example in Nashville last year. Ask any player who faced team last year how hard it was playing in our building. Every single person would be like, ‘I felt like I was slow, I felt I couldn’t get to pucks, all because of the way the building is, the way fans are, the way people are on top of you, how loud it is.’ We play a fast game. We play our systems. We move the puck quick. We’re a relentless team. We just go. Everybody’s working. That’s how we’re having success.”

 

[VegasKnightlife]

Thanks for sharing the article ChanceVegas. That was a great read. I love this team, and I can't wait to go to T-Mobile arena.

I need to see How cool those mirrors are, and just get the overall VGK fan experience.

 

[IceNeophyte]

We don't really see the mirrors from the stands.

 

[ChanceVegas]

We don't really see the mirrors from the stands.

Do you see them on the jumbotron when they come our after intermission? Only been to one game and i cant remeber. I know they show them on the TV broadcast.

 

[IceNeophyte]

I honestly don't really pay attn, but I don't recall it catching my eye.. I plan to make a point next game.

 

[ChanceVegas]

One thing that really stood out to me from both articles was when Foley made his goal known to both Fleury and Neal, both told him basically they were making the playoffs this season.

I think this is a big insight into what is happening. All of the pressure to win is coming from the players themselves. That's pretty powerful.

 

[BattleBorn]

One thing that really stood out to me from both articles was when Foley made his goal known to both Fleury and Neal, both told him basically they were making the playoffs this season.

I think this is a big insight into what is happening. All of the pressure to win is coming from the players themselves. That's pretty powerful.

Exactly.
I kind of wonder if this is one of those rare occasions where the GM is going to ask the leadership corps of the players what they need to win instead of the GM just dropping what he thinks they need into the mix.